Solid-state light emitters, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes, have several advantages over using more traditional arc lamps during curing processes, such as ultraviolet (UV) curing processes. Solid-state light emitters generally use less power, generate less heat, produce a higher quality cure, and have higher reliability than traditional arc lamps. Some modifications increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the solid-state light emitters even further.
While solid-state light emitters emit less heat than their arc lamp counterparts, the temperatures emitted from the solid-state light emitters are still very high and can cause overheating of the solid-state light emitters during use and damage to the components of the solid-state light emitters over time. Overheating and damage to the components of the solid-state light emitters causes significant amounts of downtime for repair and loss of revenue.
Some solid-state light emitters try to incorporate cooling systems to remove some of the heat that is generated when the solid-state light emitter emits light. Oftentimes, these cooling systems include one or more heat sinks that help remove heat generated by the solid-state light emitters from the housing through openings or other heat exits in the housing, which results in air being expelled from the housing. These openings or heat exits in the housing are generally located near the medium on which the curing process occurs and can cause air to be expelled onto the medium, which disturbs or damages the curing process and decreases its accuracy. This results in the curing process needing to be repeated, which increases manufacturing costs and decreases quality and efficiency.